"When you have a chronic illness, it can be enough of a challenge to
get yourself through the day. Somehow, we add spouse, kids, work, maybe
even occasional socializing to the mix. And if you are in your 30s and
up, you may also find yourself having to take care of your parents. We
are called the sandwich generation — right in the middle of raising
children and providing care for aging parents. This is hard enough at
the best of times, but adds some unique challenges when you have a
chronic illness.

My story

I was only a few years into effective treatment for my
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when my mother had a bad accident. My first
worry was for her, the second that I wouldn’t be able to be there for
her. Although I had finally found a medication that worked for me, I was
still very much recovering, and my mother had been my main support,
helping with freezer meals, grocery shopping, cleaning, and other
chores. Now, from one moment to the next, I not only had to take
responsibility for helping my mother through several months of surgeries
and rehab, but had also lost a caregiver.

It was a complete reversal of the roles we’d had for
decades and was a difficult adjustment for both of us. But I learned a
lot about taking care of an aging parent when you have a chronic
illness."